Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit Seattle on Tuesday to deliver a speech touting the Biden administration's actions on climate and headline a high-priced political fundraiser co-hosted by Microsoft President Brad Smith.
Harris' visit will come before the anniversary of President Joe Biden signing into law the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark measure that made the largest federal investment in history — some $375 billion over a decade — to promote clean-energy manufacturing and fight climate change.
The vice president's Seattle speech will highlight "the monumental impact" of the legislation and "the Biden-Harris administration's continued commitment to addressing the climate crisis with the urgency it demands while building a clean energy economy that creates good-paying jobs," according to a White House statement.
Harris cast the tiebreaking vote last year in the divided Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which also capped prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients and extended subsidies to help millions of people pay for health insurance. The law also raised corporate taxes and banked savings by allowing the government to negotiate for better Medicare drug prices, with $300 million in extra revenue for deficit reduction.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will join Harris at the Seattle event.
Harris also will deliver remarks at a fundraising lunch reception Tuesday.
Donors attending the event will fork over $5,000 per person, with higher-level donation tiers of $10,000 and $25,000 granting a photo with the vice president, and $50,000 garnering a "host" designation, according to a copy of an invitation obtained by The Seattle Times.
The reception will be co-hosted by Microsoft's Smith and his wife, Kathy Surace-Smith, as well as other top Microsoft executives and additional business, civic and philanthropic figures, including former Seattle Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim, according to the invitation.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Biden Victory Fund, a joint-fundraising committee that accepts contributions of up to $929,600 from individual donors. The money from the fund is split between the Biden-Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic Party organizations.
Such joint-fundraising committees — employed by both parties — allow donors to write single large checks, amplifying the clout of megadonors and simplifying their courtship by presidential and other campaigns.
The Biden Victory Fund has pulled in more than $40 million so far, according to a Federal Election Commission filing last month, including about $1 million from Washington state residents.
Harris' visit to Seattle will be her second since taking office in 2021.
Last October, she headlined a Seattle fundraiser for Sen. Patty Murray's reelection campaign and held an official event at Lumen Field to announce a $1 billion award to school districts for electric and cleaner-running buses.
Harris' planned trip to the West comes as Biden and top administration officials are fanning out across the country to promote his agenda before a potential 2024 reelection rematch with former President Donald Trump, who's leading in GOP polling despite facing criminal indictments over hush money payments to a porn actor, retention of classified documents and efforts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election.
Biden has faced sagging poll ratings amid public discontent over inflation and concerns about his age. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in July found his approval rating holding steady at 40%. A poll, commissioned by The Seattle Times and partners, of Washington voters last year found large majorities want to move on from Biden and Trump.
Biden was in Arizona on Tuesday, designating a new national monument for the greater Grand Canyon in a move long sought by environmentalists and Native American tribes.
The president was scheduled to visit New Mexico on Wednesday and Utah on Thursday to promote his administration's actions on climate change and aid to veterans exposed to toxic substances.
